Friday, August 30, 2013

NFC Preseason Predictions

With the 4th week of the preseason wrapped up, it's time for another year of The Sports Vibe's annual NFL Preseason Predictions. Today, we'll predict the results of the NFC:

NFC East:

1. Washington Redskins

2. New York Giants

3. Philadelphia Eagles

4. Dallas Cowboys

In one of the tightest divisons to predict, I chose the Redskins. Honestly, you could make a case for any of these teams, but I'm picking the 'Skins in the hopes that RGIII avoids a sophomore slump. If his knee recovers in time and he remains healthy, the Redskins will probably win the division. Otherwise, the experienced Giants will be nipping at their heels.

NFC South:

1. Atlanta Falcons

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

3. New Orleans Saints

4. Carolina Panthers

The Falcons will run away with the division, as none of the other teams even come close to matching their offensive firepower with Matt Ryan and their stud receivers. The Buccaneers made some key moves in the offseason, adding Darrelle Revis and Dashon Goldson to their secondary. Look for them to hold off the Saints and Panthers to compete for a Wild Card. Some will be shocked by my selection of Carolina as the 4th place team, but other than Cam Newton, I'm really unimpressed with this team on paper.

NFC North:

1. Green Bay Packers

2. Detroit Lions

3. Chicago Bears

4. Minnesota Vikings

Another no-brainer: the NFC North belongs to the Packers. Unless Rodgers gets hurt, it's Green Bay all the way. I see the Lions improving on their 4-12 debacle from last season. As for Chicago, I see no future for Cutler. Minnesota might even be better than chicago, but I put them in the 4 slot.

NFC West:

1. Seattle Seahawks

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. St. Louis Rams

4. Arizona Cardinals

As much as it pains me to anoint Seattle the division winner, I just feel like they're going to better than the Niners this year. They have a better defense and did a good job of shoring up their defensive line in the offseason. The Niners receiving corps is looking better but a gut feeling tells me to go with Seattle. On the other end of the spectrum, the Rams are getting better but nowhere near as good as Seattle or San Fran. Amnd the Cardinals could be a 7-9 team if they weren't in this division.